Ghaziabad Police Unravels Multi-City Pharmaceutical Fraud Network
In a significant breakthrough, the Ghaziabad police have successfully dismantled a sophisticated criminal syndicate that allegedly defrauded numerous pharmaceutical firms of crores of rupees through an elaborate fake cheque scheme. The operation led to the arrest of four individuals, including a former medical representative who masterminded the fraudulent activities.
Widespread Fraud Across Multiple Urban Centers
Investigators have revealed that this organized gang executed at least 54 separate fraudulent transactions spanning several major cities across northern and western India. Their criminal footprint extended to Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon, Delhi, Bhopal, Jaipur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Panipat, Moradabad, Ambala, and Chandigarh. While police have currently quantified the financial damage at approximately Rs 2.5 crore, authorities strongly suspect the actual losses could be substantially higher, as many victims have not yet come forward to file formal complaints.
Arrested Accused and Their Modus Operandi
The four individuals currently in police custody have been identified as Mukesh Taneja (47), Amit Khurana (34), Deep Singh (36), and Mukesh Akhariya, who also goes by the alias Sunder (35). All arrested suspects are residents of Haryana. Police are actively pursuing two additional gang members, Sahil Khurana and Mukesh Mitthal, who remain at large.
According to Additional DCP (crime) Piyush Kumar Singh, the gang was spearheaded by Taneja, whose previous experience as a medical representative provided him with invaluable insights into pharmaceutical supply chains and industry practices. This insider knowledge proved instrumental in orchestrating their fraudulent operations.
Sophisticated Digital Deception Tactics
The gang employed remarkably sophisticated digital techniques to identify and impersonate legitimate medical professionals. Using readily available online tools, they would first research doctors from reputable private and district hospitals in their target cities. After obtaining doctors' names through Google searches, they would verify contact numbers using Truecaller. Subsequently, they would locate nearby medical pharmacies on platforms like IndiaMART and initiate contact while masquerading as the identified physicians.
Pharmacy operators, seeing the doctor's name displayed on their caller ID, would naturally extend trust to these imposters. The gang would then place substantial orders typically ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, requesting delivery near prominent hospitals or nursing homes within the district. They would promise payment either in cash or via cheque to further legitimize the transaction.
Strategic Delivery Interception and Fraud Execution
When delivery personnel arrived at the designated locations, gang members would intercept them outside hospital premises, take possession of the pharmaceutical products, and provide cheques as payment. These cheques would later prove to be completely fraudulent, with the perpetrators vanishing before the deception could be detected.
Police investigations revealed that the gang deliberately scheduled deliveries between 3 pm and 5 pm, ensuring that the cheques could not be deposited on the same banking day. This strategic timing provided them with a crucial window of at least 24 hours to escape before the fraud was discovered.
Evidence Recovery and Additional Criminal Activities
During the arrests, authorities recovered substantial evidence including 31 SIM cards, mobile phones, and pharmaceutical products from various companies valued at several lakh rupees. Investigators discovered that the gang manufactured counterfeit cheque books using computer technology, inserting doctors' names, fabricated contact numbers, and forged signatures.
Furthermore, the accused allegedly obtained Aadhaar details through online channels, digitally manipulated these documents, and used them to fraudulently procure SIM cards. Amit Khurana, who operated a medical store, would purchase the stolen medicines from the gang at discounted rates and subsequently resell them to pharmacies at standard market prices.
Specific Fraudulent Transactions Documented
Police have documented several specific instances of the gang's fraudulent activities. In November 2025, they allegedly ordered medicines worth Rs 1.5 lakh from RK Healthcare and Surgical Pharmacy at Ansal Plaza while impersonating a doctor from MMG Hospital. In another incident on January 1 of this year, they placed an order valued at Rs 1.1 lakh from Nicol Enterprise using the identity of a senior physician at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Multi-speciality Hospital in Sector 30.
Authorities have confirmed that further investigation is actively underway to locate the absconding suspects and identify additional victims who may have fallen prey to this elaborate pharmaceutical fraud scheme.
